To Never Let Go
by LoveWillFindYou
Summary: This is a short oneshot about Rose's first night in New York though it may turn into more if successful . She reflects on her time aboard the Titanic, and the brief time she had with Jack Dawson. Please R/R! Thanks!
1. Promises

**Author's Note:** Hey there! So, I watched Titanic today after not seeing it in years. The story touched me so much; I had tears streaming down my face for a good 20 minutes. I knew that I needed to write something about it. This piece isn't much, just a short one-shot, which takes place the night Rose arrives in New York. It isn't much, more of an experiment with the characters and the story lines. Who knows? Maybe if this gets a positive response, I'll write more about these amazing characters! Thanks for reading, check out my other pieces, my profile, and remember to R/R! Every review or hit means so much to me!! Oh, and this was written while listening to Gavin Rossdale's "Forever May You Run," so that is your mood music for this one!

**-LoveWillFindYou**

I told him I would never let go. But this promise has proved difficult to keep.

Before I boarded the _Titanic_, I had considered myself a lonely person – someone lost in the world with no one to pull her back, nothing to tie her here. But after I met Jack, I forgot what loneliness was. The connection between us was too strong, as deep as the Atlantic, to be severed and the feelings of ever being alone were just distant nightmares, as though they happened to someone else. After losing Jack, I realized that I had never truly been lonely before. Lost, maybe, but not alone. It was only without Jack Dawson living, without my soul mate, the one who completed me when no one else could, did I realize what lonely meant. With these feelings, I would have flung myself off the bow without a second thought.

Now, lying on the rickety and insect-ridden mattress in this hotel room, with only the diseased rats scurrying across the floor to console me, I long to escape back to those days aboard the _Titanic_. The single happiest moments of my life all took place on that ship, and as Jack put it in his final minutes, getting to sail on the Titanic was the best thing that ever happened to me. Many would think of me as an unlucky person; I found love only briefly, and then lost it to the icy waters of the Atlantic in what is sure to be one of the biggest tragedies this world has ever known. I am left with nothing to my newly adopted name, and lonely.

But in reality, I am one of the luckier people in this world. Because, even if I only had the pleasure of knowing my love for a few days, I experienced more love in those days than most do in an entire lifetime. Most don't ever find the type of love I shared with Jack, yet I did. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Having it, even if only for a short while, is better than never having it at all.

Jack's easy laughter rings in my ears, the feel of his warm fingers in mine lingers in every nerve in my body, the sight of his enlightened eyes in every thought. Jack Dawson taught me how to live, showed me how to fly, and saved me in every imaginable way.

I let myself drift back to those days, just mere days ago, with Jack. I saw his face behind my eyes as my lids drooped into slumber.

_Jack and I sit on whit porch, I in his lap, rocking slowly in a wooden rocking chair. His arms are wrapped securely around my e waist, a look of sheer serenity on his familiar features. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, we rock slowly._

_I hold a bundle of blankets tightly in my arms. Just barely peeking out from the cocoon of cloth is a beautiful, cherub-like face. Her hair is wispy, but already a bold scarlet. Her face holds an innocence that could only be a reflection of my husbands._

_The house behind us is small and shabby in comparison to my old dwellings, yet completely comfortable. The first real home I have ever known – besides the ship of dreams. But then again, anywhere Jack is, is home to me. _

_The only sound is the faint whistle of a summer breeze and the chirp of crickets, hidden somewhere amongst the tall grass. I watch as the sun descends below the horizon, painting the sky a vibrant shade of ginger, a rich version of plum._

"_She takes after her mother. She's beautiful," Jack murmurs peacefully in my ear, a smile present in every word her speaks. His thumbs reach out and adoringly caress our daughter's flushed cheeks before repeating the action to my own cheeks._

_Remaining on his lap, I twist and kiss him tenderly on the lips. He leans into it willing, enthusiasm pouring from each touch._

"_I love you, Jack Dawson," I tell him as he touches his forehead to mine._

"_And I love you, Rose Dawson," He replies, leaning in to kiss me. I felt the sensation of love galloping through ever part of me._

_Suddenly, these cherished s images take a drastic turn. I am consumed in darkness, with not even the stars for light. I hear the sickening splinter as my world breaks into two, slipping below the surface and drowning. My teeth chatter, my hair whips in the chilly wind as I turn away from the ship. A blue hand clutches to my makeshift raft. _

"_Come back!" I shriek, "Jack, come back! Jack, wake up! Jack!" _

_His features remain still, his body motionless. His eyes stay shut, expression blank, mouth drawn into a thin line. Slowly, his body falls from the raft and into the depths of the ocean._

"_Jack!" _

_I watch powerlessly as his body sinks and sinks, fades and fades, disappearing into the nothingness of the dark sea for all of eternity._

I awake screaming, clutching the azure diamond to my chest.

"Jack," I whisper, "I'll never let go," before succumbing to a fitful sleep, images from that last night replaying over and over.


	2. With Your Guidance

**Chapter 2: With Your Guidance**

**Author's Note:** Wow! The first chapter got some good feedback – even though there weren't many comments, the ones I received were extremely sweet and encouraging reviews. Thanks so much to those who reviewed, added this story to alert, or just read it in general. Literally, I come home from school super excited about my stories, and seeing how they are perceived. 

All right, here we go!

**-LoveWillFindYou**

**Jack's Point of View**

While on Earth, I did not consider myself a very religious person. My religion consisted of cigarettes, gambling, and reflecting my views my views of the world on paper. After I boarded the _Titanic_, my religion included Rose DeWitt Bukater.

My new location has no title – I cannot tell if this is supposed to be heaven or supposed to be hell. This is just "after", defined in no other way. I could only truly call it heaven if Rose was here with me. But in all honesty, I'm glad she isn't, and is continuing to live her life as she is supposed to.

Wherever here may be, though, it is impossible to feel sad. It is impossible to exude anything but light and positive energy. I radiate feelings of joy and overwhelming emotions of love. The feeling of being free of the shackles that are negative emotions is a one that is like only one thing I have every experienced on Earth – the feelings I possessed, and still do possess, for Rose DeWitt Bukater.

I hope Rose doesn't let go. I hope she knows I will never let go.

**Rose's Point of View**

I awoke the next morning with my curls twisted and tangled into knots against my pillow. My eyes ache with both exhaust and the aftermath of last night's sobbing spell. Although it is morning, the windowless room is dark, dreary, and a monotonous gray – an atmosphere that seeps into my already miserable expression.

A shard of glass is hung at an awkward angle across the narrow room; I think it is supposed to be a mirror. I don't bother to check my appearance, knowing it would be useless.

I decide to remain in yesterday's clothes, the same dress I have worn since I arrived on the _Carpathia_ and was provided with a warm dress. The dress is not nearly as fine as my other gowns, which went down with the ship, but I don't care. This new attire looks like something one of the ladies at Jack's party would wear – the girl I long to be would wear a dress such as this. It is wrinkled with wear and sleep, something my mother would have frowned upon heavily.

I pull on the heavy coat I wore throughout the…tragedy, and clutch it to my body. I clearly remember Jack wearing it, recalling how utterly adorable he looked in such proper dress. I find comfort that I had a material piece of him here in this foreign place. I glance over at the untidy, stained sheets, where the necklace lays across my pillow. I reach to it and choose to wear it, not bothered by the startling offset it offers to my ragged dress. This necklace is now a symbol of my journey aboard the _Titanic_. Furthermore, a symbol of Jack - as though to prove he was real and not just a very, very good dream.

"Good morning, ma'am," A bearded and rather dirty looking man greets me as I enter the inn's lobby of sorts. He smiles a broad grin, which is missing its front teeth. I curl my lips upward briefly; hoping the gesture somewhat resembles a smile. It probably looked something closer to a grimace, or a scowl.

As soon as I exit the dilapidated hotel, I am greeted with the bustling streets of New York. No one here is alike, yet everyone is so unique that it all seems to blend into one beautiful, mismatched quilt. I love it. The faces passing me are different and special in their own ways; faces completely unfamiliar to me. I love that, too.

With a burst of intuition, I suddenly realize that I can be whoever I want to be here. My past, the name – it is all useless here. Besides, I am Rose Dawson now, finally free of the name whose shadow I lived under for all of my life, the name which dominated my existence for far too long. The feeling of liberty and independence overtook me with a staggering force. I imagined this is what my fellow passengers on the _Titanic_, living and dead, would feel like after arriving in America for the first time. I found an unexplained comfort in not knowing the people around me, people whom I could impress just by being me, Rose Dawson. Rose Dawson. Rose Dawson. That is truly how it should be, after all. Rose Dawson, Rose Dawson.

Rose Dawson is undefined. She was not formed by a cookie cutter – she is herself. And now, I am that girl. For the first time since that fateful night, I feel like screaming out in ecstasy. I find this new knowledge to be inspiring in a way nothing has ever stimulated me before. A large smile reaches across my face, shattering the tense muscles in my mouth and cheeks. I laugh loudly, without a care. I feel as though I am standing at the bow of the _Titanic _again, with only Jack's gentle hands guiding me. Now, as Rose Dawson, I would live to the fullest with his hands still there, supporting mine and keeping me from jumping over the edge. I would do everything I had ever wanted to do, starting from this moment. All in Jack Dawson's honor. He was the only man who had taught me to live, and for that, I will be in debt for the rest of my time here.

"Thank you, Jack, thank you," I murmur, looking up at the blue-grey sky, goofy grin still overpowering my lips, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. And Jack, I promise – I'll never let go."

**Author's Note:** So how was that? I'm not so sure. REVIEWS PLEASE! I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with this. This just seems like the perfect ending. However, I plan on writing more Titanic pieces in the future. Stay tuned. Until then, love to the readers. Seriously, wow, thanks so much. Be sure to check out my other stuff (it is all romantic, usually sad romance) and to email me your ideas at . I'll do my best to put them into words!

**-LoveWillFindYou**


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